St. Augustine Amphitheatre Named ONE OF World’s Top 100 Amphitheatres

ST. AUGUSTINE, FL (Monday, January 28, 2013) – National concert industry publication Pollstar has named the St. Augustine Amphitheatre #43 on its list of the hundred top Amphitheatre Venues Worldwide, based on ticket sales reported to Pollstar for shows played between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2012. The St. Augustine Amphitheatre is joined on the list by prestigious venues worldwide including Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Filene Center at Wolf Trap and the Hollywood Bowl among others.

2012 was a remarkable year for the St. Johns County Cultural Events Division, in many different ways. Ticket sales for the St. Augustine Amphitheatre reached an all time high of over 84,000 tickets. This statistic includes ticketed concert events and does not count the several community events that the Amphitheatre hosted including the six week long Winter Wonderland, Taste of St. Augustine, VELOfest, The National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba event, Back to School Beach Fest or the multiple high school and college graduations held at the Amphitheatre.

The Amphitheatre’s robust season started out at the beginning of March with a sold out crowd for Hank Williams, Jr. The month of March was extremely busy and high profile, also hosting the Seussical the Musical performances for elementary school children presented by the Friends of the St. Augustine Amphitheatre, the Experience Hendrix Tour, The Moody Blues, a speech by President Bill Clinton, legendary crooner Tony Bennett, and John Hiatt and Lyle Lovett. President Clinton’s appearance in St. Augustine was a monumental occasion, as he spoke on the topic of "Embracing Our Common Humanity," and then followed up with a Q&A session—answering questions submitted from members of our community. Another important community element to his speaking engagement was the “Leaders of the Future” program, facilitated by the Cultural Events Division and the St. Johns County Board of Education. In this program, high school students were nominated by their principal, based on their ability to demonstrate exceptional community involvement, character, and leadership both inside and outside of the classroom setting. Selected students then submitted an application and an essay, which was reviewed by a group of influential community leaders. The winners of the essay contest were awarded a private meet and greet, and photo opportunity with the President.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

April hosted performances by country legend Martina McBride and rock band Rise Against, while also introducing the beginning of festival and special event season with cycling festival VELOFest, Epic’s Taste of St. Augustine and Flagler College’s Spring Graduation ceremony all being held at the Amphitheatre.

May started off with a major event—the Beach Boy’s 50^th Anniversary Reunion tour. St. Augustine was chosen from among many prestigious venues as the filming location for a concert special centered around the band’s reunion; the first time in 25 years that all of the surviving band members joined together to tour. The “Live from the St. Augustine Amphitheatre” footage was part of the Beach Boys special, nationally syndicated and aired on PBS as part of the new series entitled “Front Row Center” presented by WNET in New York. May also invited pop band The Fray, indie band Wilco, The Gamble Rogers Folk Festival and the first of many area high school graduations.

ZZ Top, 3 Doors Down and Gretchen Wilson kicked off the month of June and the official beginning of the summer concert season with a high energy show, while Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band closed out the month of June. July immediately was a success with a nearly sold out crowd for Boston, followed by 311 & Slightly Stoopid, The Dukes of September (Donald Fagen, Michael McDonald, and Boz Scaggs) and Yes & Procol Harum. August began with the community focused Back 2 School Beach Fest, and also brought popular acts Rebelution, The Fresh Beat Band and Sublime.

A sold out concert for pop band Train kicked off the busy month of September, followed by back to back concerts by country sensation Brantley Gilbert—the first multiple night stand by an artist in Amphitheatre history. The month picked up steam by hosting a plethora of music icons including Ian Anderson, Blondie and Devo, Stevie Nicks, and Joe Cocker. October had two concert events featuring O.A.R and R&B chanteuse Jill Scott.

One of our most popular events this year, and quick to sell out was Heart, in the beginning of November. Then in a partnership with the University of Florida Performing Arts, the Cultural Events Division and several community partners presented a free concert as a gift to the community—a performance by the National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba. This show was part of their first US tour, and one of only three performances in the state of Florida. The Amphitheatre’s 2012 concert season ended with a full crowd for Buddy Guy and Jonny Lang. Then the transformation to Winter Wonderland began, which introduced a new layout and several new attractions. 

The St. Augustine Amphitheatre is owned and operated by the St. Johns County Cultural Events Division, under the leadership of General Manager Ryan Murphy. Scheduled events for the 2013 season include Daryl Hall and John Oates, Matchbox 20, Alan Jackson, Yo Gabba Gabba, Chicago , with more to be announced in the coming weeks. For more information, please visit www.staugamphitheatre.com or www.findmytix.com. The Amphitheatre Box Office may also be reached at (904) 209 – 0367.

HotStar: Vintage Trouble

Posted Friday, January 18, 2013at 2:35 am

View the interview in Issue #22 of Ignition Music Magazine here. 

Vintage Trouble was in the midst of a weekly residency at Harvelle’s Blues Club in Santa Monica, Calif., when a member of Doc McGhee’s management team saw them and insisted his boss see them, too. The legendary KISS manager signed them on the spot.

When The Who's Roger Daltrey needed a band to play a benefit party a year or so ago, McGhee booked Vintage Trouble. Now, the Los Angeles four-piece is opening for the Brits on what was originally planned to be “An Evening With” The Who.

“Roger just fell in love with them,” CAA agent Matthew Morgan told Pollstar.

It isn’t hard to see why.

Singer Ty Taylor, with a voice most often compared to Otis Redding, is a fireball of energy – a recent performance on “Late Night With David Letterman” ended with Taylor bolting into the audience and climbing chairs, to his host’s amusement.

Fans of the Black Keys, Gary Clark Jr., and Alabama Shakes,  Vintage Trouble combines retro R&B with edgier blues rock for an irresistible combination coupled with a dizzying performance.  Morgan described fans as “grabbing at them like they were The Beatles” after one of their opening sets on the Who tour.

“It feels like they are creating true fans and a true following that isn’t going to go anywhere anytime soon,” Morgan said. “One thing about this band: I never, ever, ever have to apologize for how their live performance is.

“They’ve opened for Metallica and Bon Jovi in Europe, and the fans just went nuts – and that says a lot. You couldn’t ask for two more different groups, or types of fans. But it’s just insane.”

Vintage Trouble is entertaining offers from more than 25 festivals for summer, Morgan said, and looking at more opening slots with artists like the Dave Matthews Band  where they can also book late-night club dates in select markets. And there will be headlining tours in March and again in fall.
-- Deborah Speer

Justin Timberlake’s ‘Suit & Tie’ Featuring Jay-Z, Most Soulful Release Yet

By Billy Johnson, Jr. | Hip-Hop Media Training – 8 hours ago // yahoo.com

Nearly seven years after Justin Timberlake raised the stakes for dance pop music with “SexyBack,” his contemporaries are still riding the wave. But the former N’Sync singer has moved on.
LISTEN to Justin Timberlake's "Suit & Tie" Featuring Jay-Z

“Suit & Tie” featuring Jay-Z, Justin’s long-anticipated new single, offers a more mature sound saturated in a live band feel with trumpets, saxophones, bass guitar, chimes and cowbells that recall the rich soul music of the ‘70s. JT’s falsetto channels the likes of GQ, William DeVaugn, the Chi Lites and Delfonics as he serenades his girl, promising to “show you a few things,” the perks of trading his old ways for this new grown and sexy “suit & tie sh-t.”

Jay-Z is equally happy to be in a state of bliss. As the Timbaland-produced track slows down, gets nasty and slurred for his rap verse, the “Empire State Of Mind” MC pays respect to his in-laws, adding “they didn’t lose a daughter got a son.”

In an open letter posted on his website, Timberlake, who wed long-time girlfriend actress Jessica Biel in October, discussed what influenced his forthcoming album, The 20/20 Experience. “It is full of inspiration that I grew up listening to and some newfound muses that I’ve discovered along the way,” he said.

Though Timberlake has been focusing on acting, appearing in films like The Social Network, Friends With Benefits and Bad Teacher, he said the inspiration for the new album came out of the blue.

“I just went into the studio and started playing around with some sounds and songs,” he said. “It was probably the best time I've had in my career... Just creating with no rules and/or end goal in mind and really enjoying the process.”

The 20/20 Experience is due out in 2013 on RCA Records.

With 4 Nods, Rapper Nas Aims For Grammy Gold

When a teenage Nas opted out of street hustling to chase his musical dream, those around him found it amusing.

Voodoo Experience, City Park, New Orleans, La October 28, 2012
(Scott Legato / RockStarProPhotography.com)

“When I chose to get in rap, my friends chose to do other things and not all great things. They chose to be in the streets and kind of laughed at me in a way about taking rap so seriously,” said the rapper, who hails from the New York City borough of Queens. “I’m glad I stuck with it because I believed in it from day one.”

No one laughs about Nas now. Considered one of music’s most celebrated lyricists, he’s a top contender at next month’s Grammy Awards with four nominations. The 39-year-old rap veteran reached new heights last year with the release of his album Life Is Good, which made several critics’ end-of-the-year lists. It is nominated for best rap album, competing with records by Drake, Rick Ross, The Roots, Lupe Fiasco and 2 Chainz.

“The album was just such a piece that really told you about my life, about my divorce without doing too much, without telling too much,” said Nas, whose split with singer Kelis was finalized in 2010.

Nas also gets personal on his album about another woman: his daughter. The song “Daughters,” about the struggles of parenting a girl, is up for best rap song and best rap performance; his jam with the late Amy Winehouse, “Cherry Wine,” is nominated for best rap/sung collaboration.

He talked about his career, the nominations, his recent tour partner Lauryn Hill and more in a recent interview.

To view more on this interview visit Pollstar.com.